KODAK FLEXCEL Plate Technology Helps Miller Graphics to Improve Quality and Strengthen Customer Relationships

Miller Graphics is helping its customers to improve the quality of their packaging after adopting KODAK FLEXCEL Direct and KODAK FLEXCEL NX Plate technologies. The repro house works in close collaboration with its customers, and together they are producing award-winning packaging – last year they walked away with seven Flexostar awards.

Since using KODAK FLEXCEL Plate technology, Miller Graphics has received very positive feedback from its customers, after they were able to improve quality, reduce waste and increase productivity.

 

  Philippe Desange, Kodak. Laurent Charvin, Gascogne Laminate. Emmanuelle Cottet, studio Miller Graphics Sud Responsible. Valérie COUTANT, packaging responsible for La Boulangère NORAC group and Jean-Pierre BONNET ATF President.

The FLEXCEL Direct System offers solvent-free production systems for sleeves and plates. The system eliminates a number of time-consuming and costly stages involving UV exposure and chemical processing..

Meanwhile the FLEXCEL NX System is a complete solution for flexo plate production that delivers outstanding print quality and stability, and reduced make-ready times on press. It enables printing at high line screens and high solid ink densities, consistently producing remarkable results that rival gravure printing.

Delivering unsurpassed quality with Kodak's Flexographic Technology

Philippe Coulonnier, Sales Manager at Miller Graphics France, is a long-term Kodak customer and has 40 years’ sleeve engraving experience: “With Kodak’s Flexographic Technology we are able to take print quality to a whole new level. Our customers have been really impressed by results – more and more of them are choosing flexo. Having a partner like Kodak means we are always leading the way with flexo, and are perfectly placed to serve the growing number of customers switching to this technology.”

Winning industry awards

The Flexostar awards are organized annually in December by ATF Flexo (Association Technique Française de la Flexographie), and recognize the finest flexographic printing work in the various packaging sectors: paperboard, paper, films and labels.

Miller Graphics’ award-winning work featured on packaging for St Môret cheese spread and Président organic butter for the Gascogne Laminates Jarnac plant, which is now LYSIPACK SAS; Bic lighters for Sleever International; Breton-style Scallops for Palamy; Red Cap for SAC Emballage; and Oursons fourrés biscuits for BRJ Emballage.

 

 

Beurre Président Bio packaging printed with KODAK FLEXCEL NX Plate Technology

 

LYSIPACK Chairman, Laurent Charvin, comments: “Printing the lids for St Môret cheese (which won a Flexostar Gold award) and wrappers for Président organic butter (Flexostar Silver) would have been complicated without KODAK Technology. By using the KODAK FLEXCEL Direct System, Miller Graphics enabled us to run high-quality colours and linework under production conditions – something that would have been hard to achieve with traditional sleeves.”

 

  St Môret packaging printed with KODAK FLEXCEL NX Plate Technology

Laser engraving technology is at the heart of the FLEXCEL Direct System. It uses multi-channel laser diodes, which are significantly ahead of traditional engraving systems. Offering higher resolution, the laser system now boasts unmatched power, efficiency and higher energy.

Charvin believes that directly engraving sleeves or rubber plates is the most eco-conscious method: “It is important that a printer can rely on a repro house to help improve the process, like Miller Graphics is doing for us. They are using cutting-edge KODAK Technology, which in turn is enabling us to improve quality, reduce waste and increase productivity.”

The other Flexostars were awarded to the BRJ Emballage (Flexostar Gold), SAC Emballage (Flexostar Silver), Sleever (Flexostars Bronze and Innovation) and Palamy (Flexostar Bronze) printing houses, which were supplied by Miller Graphics using the KODAK FLEXCEL NX System.

Claude Desbrugères, Cluster Business Director, France & Benelux, Kodak, concludes: “It is really heartening to hear how KODAK Solutions are bringing our customers and their partners closer together. And, of course, the Flexostars are a very welcome endorsement of our technology. We are very proud that our solutions contributed to Miller Graphics and its partners being recognized by the industry for producing such top-quality packaging printing.”